Gilles Courteau

Gilles Courteau (born October 7, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey administrator who has served as the president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 1986, and is also a vice-president of the Canadian Hockey League. During his tenure as president, the QMJHL has expanded from 10 teams in Quebec only, to 18 teams and now includes Atlantic Canada. He implemented English as the language of instruction, and maintains the need for the league to provide education and player assistance. Courteau previously worked for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, the Quebec Remparts, the Quebec Nordiques, and was inducted into the Hockey Québec Hall of Fame in 2016.

Gilles Courteau
Born (1957-10-07) October 7, 1957
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
OccupationPresident of QMJHL
Years active1986 to present
AwardsHockey Québec Hall of Fame

Early hockey career

Courteau was born on October 7, 1957, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.[1] He began his career in hockey as a statistician for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs from 1975 to 1977.[2] He worked with head coach Michel Bergeron for two seasons.[3][4] Team owner Sylvain Cinq-Mars recommended Courteau apply for a similar position with the league after league president Paul Dumont opened an administration office in the Colisée de Québec.[4][5] Courteau worked as a general administrator for the QMJHL from 1977 to 1980.[2][3] He later became general manager of the Quebec Remparts from 1980 to 1985 after the departure of Martin Madden.[2][3][4] Courteau also served as a public relations agent for the Quebec Nordiques from 1983 to 1985.[2][3] When the original Quebec Remparts relocated in 1985, Courteau returned to working for the QMJHL as the administrative director.[4]

QMJHL president

Courteau became president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) on February 13, 1986.[2] He was appointed interim president upon the resignation of Guy Morissette, and remained as the tenth and longest-serving league president.[3] He took on the added role of QMJHL commissioner in September 2001,[2][6] is also a vice-president of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), and represents the CHL on the junior council of Hockey Canada.[2][6]

When Courteau took over in the 1985–86 QMJHL season, the league had ten teams and an office staff of three full-time employees; as of the 2014–15 QMJHL season, the league had eighteen teams and a staff of twenty full-time employees.[4] He led expansion into Atlantic Canada, starting with Halifax in the 1994–95 QMJHL season, which Courteau says is one of his biggest accomplishments as president.[3][4][7] The decision was successful in allowing new owners and respected businessmen to join the league, raise expectations and the league profile, and increase the average worth of each franchise to $4.5 million in 2015.[3][4][6][7] The growth allowed Courteau to negotiate a 12-year extension for QMJHL television rights with TVA Sports and Sportsnet networks,[3][4] and established revenue sharing to help smaller market teams.[3]

In the early 2000s, Courteau directed the league's coaches to speak English instead of French during practice, in locker rooms, and during games, in response to the National Hockey League's concern that players from Quebec did not speak the language well enough to play at professional levels.[8][9] He was criticized in Quebec's French language media, but defended his decision as it prepared athletes for professional leagues that only use English.[9] He also implemented French language courses for athletes with English as a first language, to help adapt to being billeted in French and attending local schools.[8][9]

In response to the class action lawsuit against the CHL regarding the status of its players with respect to the minimum wage in Canada, Courteau said that its players are not employees, but are student athletes.[4][10] He successfully lobbied for amendments to labour standards in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and as of June 2018 is negotiating with the Quebec government.[11] Courteau said that if players were paid a weekly salary, they would be less likely to continue schooling.[4] He says the league's priority is to oversee players, ensure they have housing, food, education, hockey equipment, and receive a weekly stipend.[4][10] He also stated that the league spends $75,000 per player each year including tuition and tutoring, and is more akin to a scholarship than a salary.[10] He introduced a player assistance program in 2012 to help with on-ice and off-ice issues for players, and wants to maintain the trust of players and parents, as part of his own extended family.[7][12]

Courteau has maintained the status quo on not releasing numbers of concussions in the QMJHL, due to confidentiality of medical records, but has stated that the CHL may adopt a policy on the disclosure of statistics in the future.[13] He also stated that the CHL has considered a possible renaming of the QMJHL, but that there are issues regarding branding and broadcasting.[14]

Honours and awards

Courteau received a commendation from Minister of Veterans Affairs of Canada for his role in establishing a veterans' week throughout the QMJHL in 2010.[15] Courteau was inducted into the Hockey Québec Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016.[16]

Personal life

Courteau coached baseball in Trois-Rivières in 1975.[3][4] He worked at the CIP pulp and paper mill in Trois-Rivières, before relocating to Quebec City to follow a hockey career.[4] After the QMJHL relocated to Boucherville, Courteau became a resident of Varennes, Quebec.[12]

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References
  1. "Gilles Courteau". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  2. "Intronisés en 2016". Temple de la Renommée du Hockey Québécois (in French). 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  3. Lavoie, Kathleen (May 31, 2014). "Gilles Courteau: quatre décennies de hockey junior". Le Soleil (in French). Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  4. Durocher, Pierre (March 13, 2015). "Gilles Courteau en a vu de toutes les couleurs en 40 ans". Journal de Montreal (in French). Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  5. Lachapelle, Marc (April 11, 2008). "Décès de Paul Dumont". Canoe Canada (in French). Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. "L'histoire de Gilles Courteau, commissaire de la LHJMQ". Carrefour Kijiji (in French). January 16, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  7. "Gilles Courteau : L'homme à la tête de la Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec". Quebec Hebdo (in French). May 20, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  8. O'Connor, Joe (August 28, 2017). "The language of hockey in Quebec: Why it's actually not French". National Post. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  9. "Gilles Courteau défend l'usage de l'anglais dans la LHJMQ". Radio Canada (in French). August 24, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  10. Morissette, Mario (June 1, 2018). "Gilles Courteau réplique à Gilles Lupien". TVA Sports (in French). Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  11. Hamilton, Graeme (June 11, 2018). "Quebec bill will make sure junior hockey players are not considered paid employees". National Post. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  12. "Gilles Courteau: 40 ans de hockey junior". Quebec Hebdo (in French). May 12, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  13. "Gilles Courteau garde le secret sur le nombre de commotions cérébrales dans la LHJMQ". Radio Canada (in French). March 27, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  14. McPhail, Colin (September 22, 2017). "Could a name change be on the horizon for QMJHL?". Telegraph journal. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  15. "Gilles Courteau - Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation". Veterans Affairs Canada. October 23, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  16. "Gilles Courteau inducted into Hockey Quebec's Hall of Fame". QMJHL. June 11, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
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